This invention relates to a method and apparatus for collecting, freezing and preserving, and preparing for reinfusion of blood components.
It has been common practice for many years to collect blood from donors, process the blood components and preserve some of the components for a short time, and then deliver the preserved component to a patient who is in need of the blood. Plastic collection bags, tube harnesses, and transfusion sets are commercially available for this purpose.
Procedures are also known for freezing blood components, and blood processing machines are commercially available for preparing a blood component after freezing and prior to infusion into a patient. The Samson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,414, for example, describes a machine for processing frozen blood cells, and the Lavender U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,073 describes apparatus for use in freezing a blood component. It has been known for quite some time that blood components may be frozen at -80.degree. C. for 2-3 years and then safely reinfused, and recently it has been learned that blood components may be stored at this temperature for 20 years or more.
Further, systems have been described for removing blood from a person and then reinfusing the blood in the same person. For example, the Reynolds et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,526 describes an "autologous blood system," and the Bartlett U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,186 describes an "autotransfusion system," wherein shed blood is recovered during an operation and reinfused in the patient. The Rosenberg U.S. Pat. No. 3,625,212 describes a plasmapheresis system wherein blood is extracted and processed, and the red blood cells are returned to the same individual; a safety arrangement is provided to ensure that the cells are not given to a different person.
The methods and apparatus of the prior art are not, however, suited for the processing and storage of blood components through numerous steps which may extend over a long period of time, while also providing certainty as to the identification of the person from which the blood was collected.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide improved apparatus and method for avoiding the problems of the prior art.